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Last year a couple of tree planters made me a necklace/pendant/thing–I’m not entirely sure what you’d call it.

I guess I shouldn’t say ‘tree planter’–after all, tree planters are people, too. Actually the truth is I’ve met some very interesting–no, interesting doesn’t do justice–intricate individuals who were tree planters. But back to the necklace.

It’s leather, with a large flat cut stone overhung by a copper skull with hearts for eyes and a flower (or maybe it’s a sun, I’m not sure) on the forehead. But what was interesting was one response I got to it which was a microscopic cringe. You know – cause bones are gross.

And to be honest it’s one of those things I’ve felt almost a little rebellious walking into some places with around my neck. I mean after all, bones are gross.

Bones represent death. Darkness. Evil. Maybe Ezekial thought so, too, when he looked out on that valley full of bones. Or maybe he just thought, “Oh look, a valley full of old dry bones.”

But like Ezekial we’ve only been seeing one thing, and could God be asking, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

For a long time now (it’s a very long process) I’ve been learning to see, not from a different viewpoint–for the viewpoint I want to see from is so much farther above me–but that there is another viewpoint; God has his own viewpoint, and he doesn’t look at things the way I naturally tend to. I see dry bones, he sees an army and a promise of hope for his people. I see ragged dirty weed-smoking hippie tree planters, he sees–well, I’m not sure what all he sees there, but I know he sees children who he longs to father.

There was a childrens’ book called “Beautiful Bones and Butterflies”, and I wish I could remember what it had to do with bones, but the more I’ve thought about it the more I say, “Well, why not?” It’s probably one of the levels where we all are most alike. God made bones, and they are beautiful–I can’t accept any contrary thought anymore. And sure. There’s flesh, and blood and sinews and ligaments on top. (But after all, God doesn’t look on the “outward” appearance anyway, right?) But more importantly, there’s always another viewpoint; one which sees beautiful bones walking, hippies bringing revival out of the wilderness, and maybe there’s something in store for these bones, too.